How to Deal With Imagined People

Northfork Nellie

I am new to the group. My dear friend has recently been diagnosed with Alzheimers. She is constantly talking about Rick and his daughter (imagined people) who come in and take things, move things and put poison in her water. How would you recommend addressing this?

Marta

Your friend is having delusions (fixed, false beliefs), assuming there really isn’t a Rick. If they are bothersome to your friend, her family needs to have her evaluated for possible medication to address the delusions. If you are asking how YOU should address this, don’t try to convince her that Rick isn’t real - in her mind, he is very real. Acknowledge the emotion that is likely driving the delusions: most often fear and anxiety - say something like: “you must be very worried about this.” On the other hand you could say something non-commital like “you don’t say.” Also helpful might be something that addresses the delusion and say you will report it to police. These false beliefs can be quite persistent; meds are likely to help if she is in distress.

M1

Agree completely, antipsychotic medication is warranted. The negative content such as the poisoning is typical and likely unpleasant for her, too.

harshedbuzz

Another voice for medication being part of addressing this.

It's generally better to join a PWD in their reality because the can no long access ours reliably. Validating her feelings around this will make her feel heard. "That's terrible", "Something needs to be done" or "I'm so sorry, you don't deserve that" could be appropriate responses.

For a PWD who is further along in the disease progression, you might be able to tell the PWD that you've chased them away and told them not to come back which typically calms things and allows you to redirect to something more pleasant-- another topic or even a snack.

HB

Northfork Nellie

Thank you all for the input, it's appreciated!